9 of our all-time favorite wagons

[Grace]

Station wagons are in many ways the unsung heroes of the automotive hobby. Vintage longroofs possess a unique, nostalgic appeal: You're far more likely to have grown up with a brick-shaped Volvo or lozenge-like Roadmaster in your family driveway than a Ferrari Daytona. Station wagons do "understated cool" superbly, but their ranks also include some truly exotic stuff, like Audi's absurd RS 6 Avant, headed to U.S. shores for the first time this year. No matter your budget, wagons are eminently practical and inclusive; you can pack in your family, friends, and even the dog if you don't care too much about the carpet.

From four figures to six, Hagerty's Brad Phillips and Colin Comer rounded up 9 of their favorite wagons for your enjoyment in a recent livestream. The theme was inspired by the Wagon Queen Family Truckster, Phillips says. And really, any list of longroofs that starts with that "damn fine automobile" is bound to impress.

Read the full article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/lists/9-of-our-all-time-favorite-wagons/

[ScottC]

What? No room for the Vista Cruiser?

[glee3737]

Where's the 55, 56 and 57 Nomad?

[Ben]

+1 on the Nomad!!

[JJanselmo]

56 Nomad

[MikeSchneider]

Love me a sport wagon!   We are just getting ready to let our 07 Audi S4 Avant (wagon) find a new forever home.  We greatly enjoyed the S4 V8 all wheel drive 6spd powertrain in a mid-size wagon, doesn't get much more exclusive and fun than that.  Well maybe that awesome 1 of 1 428 manual trans country squire but hey apples and oranges right?  Wonder what the family thought back in 67 when dad rolled in the driveway with that?! 

[SirRichard]

What about the Chevy Nomad

[F360Spider]

Browsing this article, I came across the picture of the Country Squire that evoked an immediate memory of a horrible August trip from San Francisco area to Mexico back in 1965. Nine of us made the trek: Father, mother (six months pregnant), brother and two sisters, grandma, as well as the dog and the car HAD NO AIR CONDITIONING. It was the hottest, most miserable trip in the world. Why didn't we go to Lake Tahoe or maybe Montana instead? 

The Country Squire wagon was reliable and reasonably efficient for a family of eight and a big hairy dog.  

[Mogowner]

We like station wagons and currently have two in the family, one BMW 328 xi and one 330 xi. Although the 330 wagon never came to N America we "hotrodded' a 325 and ended up with a wagon that surprises a lot of BMW "M" owners.

[Mimabob]

Roadmaster above a Nomad? Give me a break!

[AZDon]

The CTS-V Wagon deserves its own spot.  I would also add the Griswold Family Truckster.

[mdburnspe]

Always had a soft spot for wagons.  There are some cool sport wagons on this list, but if these are your favorites, your list will lose against mine.  There are SO many more cooler wagons out there!  Good try...

[Truemanbruce]

I’d add the Saab 9-3 Sportcombi wagon.   The 2007 Saab anniversary edition Aero is a wonderful driver and hauls lots of stuff!

[Mike_E_V]

Wagon's HO! I miss my 69 Buick Special Sport Wagon. (Vista Cruiser's cousin) Can't leave out all the cool US 4 door hardtop wagons from the late fifties & early 60's. Buick, Olds, Merc & ChryCo.

[dhomuth]

I had an AMC Eagle.  Solid car and quite reliable.  But when it was delivered, the trim on the sides differed left to right.  Most strange!  The one wagon I ever nearly had but missed by ten minutes was a 1949 Buick Roadmonster Woody.  Had I bought it, I'd probably still have it.  Now I drive a 1999 GMC Yukon SLT, and that's a pretty good ride.

[auto-mark]

Tri-five Nomad should've been included.  BMW E30 wagon may deserve an honorable mention, as the first generation of wagons BMW made, even if it wasn't originally sold in the USA.  And what about the CTS-V wagon?  Preferably with a 6 speed manual!  

[TS]

Where is the 1959 Chevorlet Kingswood?

[GrumpyOne]

Hrrruuuuuuuuph!

So... Innovation was not part of the decisionmaking with this list since the Studebaker Wagonaire, (which could carry a upright refrigerator), was not included. Sometimes I wonder about those who make the choices for these lists...

[Scarlitosway44]

I'm more of a Wagon Queen Family Truckster guy.

[gr8dane]

I recently learned about the 2004-2010 BMW M5 wagon with a 500-hp V-10, and a 6-speed manual, and rear-wheel drive, and an 8,000 RPM redline. OK maybe I'm not thinking about family vacations when I look at this beast...or maybe I am. 4 kids fighting in the back wouldn't sound nearly as bad with the whine of that engine approaching redline as background music...I just drooled on my keyboard.

[Mike_E_V]

Good News for dhomuth about his AMC trim issues. You can only see one side at a time.

[delling3]

I owned a 2005 Vanilla Magnum RT, and while it wasn't an SRT8, it was still a lot of fun with the base-level "Hemi".  Unfortunately for me, I was using the car as for my job as a field sales rep, putting 30K - 40K a year on the car, and when gas prices spiked to near $5 a gallon in late 2005/2006, it became untenable to keep the car.  I traded it on a Honda Element.  Wish I coulda kept the Magnum as a "toy", but that wasn't feasible at the time, with two kids starting college. 

[thedon]

I owned a 2007 SAAB 9-3 Combi maybe the best car I ever owned by 2017 safety features were more extensive so after 175K it went to daughter's family to become a station car.

[Ric_Rabbit]

The AMC Eagle is on the list but the BMW M5 Touring is not. (Sigh)

[Dakar09]

No Volvo 240?!?!?!

Have to admit, that Country Squire with the 428 is pretty cool.

[intokyo]

I haven’t been doing much international travel lately, but I don’t think Australia is in Europe. 

[whooziss]

I looked at the Eagle and then the 2020 Outback in my garage. Father and son.

[RA]

You cannot have a wagon list without the Olds Vista Cruiser/Buick Sport or Nomad.

[008spyke]

As a young man, my first two auto purchases on my own was a 1968 Vista Cruiser that was olive/woodgrain with a 330 motor, and a 1968 VC lt-blue/woodgrain with a 400 small block and air that I actually got to work! That was back in '79 & '80 respectively. From age 16 til 22, I never HAD to pay for a motel room, if ya know what I mean. I truly loved those wagons! Also, I first drove the family wagon which was a 1972 Plymouth Fury Sport Suburban. What a battleship THAT beast was! Probably should be designated as an aircraft carrier due to the long flat roof. lol

[Oldjag]

I have and old 1995 S6 Avant (Wagon).  It holds a lot of stuff, great on long trips.  With a GTX 3071 turbo the 5cyl. makes 405 whp. and manages 24 mpg on the highway in sixth gear.  Awesome on mountain roads.  Pushing 240K miles now, engine never apart.  And then there is this, slightly newer, (and harder to work on) Audi Avant https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNJEQ90_wFk

[Daves1800]

Trucks don't count, delete the Suburban.

I had multiple Swedish cargo carriers, either Volvo 145, 245 or 745,  they certainly hauled for me. Wife, two kids, camping gear and four bicycles was fairly common. A brother-in-law agreed his minivan couldn't take the same load. Mind you, this was both a bike rack *and* a clamshell on the roof.

At a Carlisle, PA meet I met a fellow with a massive pile of Mercedes part - I had to smile at the Volvo doing the hauling. I even brought home the 20 foot I-beam for the garage loft on the roof of a Volvo.

I ended up with the sexy one. Most people's reaction is that Volvo & sexy is an oxymoron. Then they see the 1973 Volvo 1800ES - then the camera's come out.

[avanti5010]

Oh well, Studebaker left out again. I guess the 1963-1965 Wagonaires with sliding rooftop were not very innovative. And the Suburban? Come on, get real. That big hulk is no station wagon even though GM advertised it as such.

[EricDViking]

Um...where is the iconic Vista Cruiser?

[Ben]

The most legendary of wagons IMO. Bummer they only made a few because I want one sooooo badly!

[RichH]

My 94 BMW 540 (E34) Touring was almost as fast as my old Ferrari and handled like my Jag and looked SOO much cooler than the boring 5-Series sedan it was made from. PERFECT 50/50 weight distribution.

[Spyder550]

You need to expand your favorites to include a Willy’s Wagon.

Well, at least it’s on of my favorites.

[AutoDr]

No Volvo 240/740 wagons??

[DarrellB]

My 2-door 57 Ford Ranchwagon looked great in two tone paint. The 289 was surprisingly good on country road drag races

[Tom_the_Tech]

So glad you included the Holden HSV on your list.  I have a 1995 Chevrolet Caprice wagon with the LT1 - a slightly harsher ride than the Roadmaster but much the same. I am looking for the Magnum SRT8 as my next wagon only because the Holden is so hard to find in the US.

[ChrisKennedy]

Of all of these I like the 67 Ford best by far---what a combo of engine/transmission and bucket seats tops it off!  This is a car that members of a family will talk about for years.

It screams cool (I can imagine taking it to the prom, drive-throughs and on road trips to the Grand Canyon)  and was probably family-affordable at the time,  whereas the $110K Audi screams wretched excess and trendy urban types.   

/s/ Chris Kennedy

[fellberg]

Great article as wagons normally go unappreciated. My thought is that the Saab 9-5 deserves to be on the list. A really great "sports car" with the ability to haul a full size fridge. 

[cal333]

I totally agree on the Dodge Magnum...the SRT8 only came in RWD but a AWD Hemi version was available...the Magnum AWD, equipped with Blizzak snow tires,  are very stable on ice and will plow through deep snow with amazing traction...the 2021 Mercedes E450 wagon is now a clap boarded wannabe SUV...how sad for such a cool wagon...

[gyashko]

While I agree that omitting the '55-'57 Nomad, the skylited Buick Sport Wagon of '64-'69 and its sister, the Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser of '64-'72, and Volvo's 1800 series, I'm surprised there's been no mention of the '64-'65 Chevelle 2-door wagon. 

[huffmanhotrods]

Sorry to see the 1955-1957 Pontiac Safari Star Chief Custom not included. 1957 especially was especially beautiful! Like a 1955-1957 Nomad on steroids.

[fshearer]

I loved the 60 - 64 Chrysler wagons with no B pillar.

[MoparToGo64]

I had a 57 Dodge Sierra 2 door wagon with a 1956 354 Hemi, spinner hubcaps, child seats, a real sleeper

[martinezsav]

The Chevy Nomad didn't make the list?

[seallroads]

To leave the Audi Allroad 4.2 off this list, given its height adjustable suspension and 300hp of normally aspirated V8 sleeper car goodness, is a miscarriage of justice.

[RDeS]

Where are the Honda Accord Wagons?

[onteo]

What, no love for the Pinto Cruising wagon?